Getting $22m in Food & Voucher Cards to Those Most in Need

Across the U.S., more people are going hungry than at any time in recent history. According to the Associated Press, Feeding America, the nation’s largest anti-hunger organization, has seen a 60% average increase in food bank users since the onset of the 2020 COVID-19 pandemic. In California, the food security situation is especially dire. Hunger in California has doubled, and in some areas tripled, since the state’s COVID-19 restrictions went into effect. 

To meet this urgent crisis, in late 2020 PHI partnered with tech companies, local government, grocery stores and 19 community-based organizations in some of California’s hardest hit communities, getting food cash cards directly to those in greatest need, including families who do not qualify for or who are unable to access federal food programs like CalFresh. The project distributed information in 14 languages and relied on trusted community groups to reach many people who otherwise would be unable to access other food programs. In under two months, the project distributed nearly $22 million worth of food cash cards to about 30,000 families and individuals reaching 100,000 people in communities impacted by the virus. More than 200,000 boxes of food were delivered to homes.